25 replies to this topic

[Shazza]

Hi All,

Thought I would post my RSM 130 that I converted into a planted community tank for my young bloke, after gettin pestered for ages to get him a tank.

Few mods have been done to get it where it currently is.

If ya keen let me know can go through what I did and dramas I had.

So far been going great after initial cycle. Current tank is 2 months.





Had a good mate who needed to prune his tank so scored a heap of Anubias and java fern.

Plan is to keep it low tech.

Fish

3 serpae tetra
3 lemon tetra
6 black neon
2 x corydorus
3 khuli loach

Heaps and heaps of ninja and cherry shrimp. But we don’t see them as the piece of driftwood in there is massive and is full of cracks and holes.


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[Shazza]

Had enough of the stock surface skimmer taking up so much room in the tank and just looking big and intrusive.

Found some 3D printing designs online and got a lady to knock this up for me.


Here it is inside the tank running like a dream! Still cautious of water level and stuff but will experiment with it.




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[Delapool]

Looks great - I like the driftwood

[Shazza]

Cheers man,

Yeah scored a ripper piece of gumtree.

Plenty of tunnels and cracks. Just fine tuning it at the moment.


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[Jules]

this looks great!!! well done.

some rainbows or congo tetras would like amazing in there!

[Shazza]

Thanks Jules,

I was a little concerned I had too much live stock in there already?

As I’m new to freshwater. Kept marine tanks as a child.

Might have a bit of imbalance somewhere as this has begun to show up. Not sure exactly what it is. Any help would be appreciated.





This is latest full tank shot as of yesterday




Thanks


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[Shazza]

Tank update!

Everything seems to have settled down and is coming along slowly.

Will be adding pressurized CO2 in the coming month.

Still have a smallish case of staghorn I believe, but it hasn’t spread or gotten worse.

Maybe a small peroxide dose or excel might clear it up?




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[Delapool]

Looking good - could try the peroxide (I find excel more gradual effect although others get more immediate success).

[Shazza]

Is that with double dosing for a few days?

So much conflicting info regarding dosing schedules (goes for peroxide) as well!!


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[Delapool]

Peroxide I just do at water change, squirt onto area (try a test run on plants first), leave for 5 minutes and complete water change. I get small bottles from chemist, either 3 or 6% I think. I’m totally guessing but maybe I’d use 100ml into 250 litres water (and then fill tank back up to 500 litres). Works extremely well in black beard algae, other types can be hit and miss ime.

Glut as either normal or double dose. May cause plant melt eg Val or crypts. They should recover. I suspect that as my tank is CO2 injected that it takes longer to work on algae.

I guess I do the peroxide to target an area and glut in general.

[Shazza]

Righto!

Cheers.

Been watching a heap of you tube vids on the peroxide method but whole tank doses!

So will experiment with 1ml per gallon of 3% strength.

So only 33ml for the Red Sea.

Remove or filtration, let circulate for 20min then water change same day or next.

Fingers crossed!


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[Delapool]

Be interested how you go - never done whole tank doses, only targeted dosing.

[Shazza]

Update!

Had some success with the peroxide dosing for BBA.

Lost a couple of my lemon tetras through my own fault, so lesson learnt!

Going through a substrate change soon as just realized the substrate I have is calcium carbonate based so would be helping with my phosphate levels!!!

Switching over to flourite black sand and will be dosing root tabs and LCA fertilizer!

If anyone had experience with the black sand please contact me let me know how ya went.

Hopefully set up the co2 this break also!




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[malawiman85]

Glut/excel will utterly ruin Val in particular. A couple of Double or triple doses of excel works for me though. Harmless to fish and almost all other plants.

[Shazza]

Righto!!!

Well finally after much gathering of supplies and sorting out a few small things, I have finally gotten around to swapping out the substrate and adding co2.

Tanks still clearing up but everything seems to be doing well.




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[Shazza]

Forgot to add did a peroxide bath for the small bits of BBA I had and spot dosed.

Will run no more BBA until it dwindles or I see improvement.

Adding more plants to hopefully combat the same problem.

Root tabs and 2hr aquarist comprehensive fert will be going in regularly when needed.


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[Shazza]

After water calmed down.

Obtained some hygro off a mate and a few medium chunka of trident fern!

Dosing 2hr aquarists all comprehensive.

Will be adding some more khuli loaches and another Borneo scooter soon.

Any thoughts on a nice schooling fish that’s easy? Rasboras?





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[Jules]

Looks great!

 

Still love congo tetras! They would really stand out against the darker background and substrate!

[malawiman85]

Nice harlequins or and or a big bunch of cardinals would be hard to beat even though theyre super common.
Tank looks really good.

[Shazza]

Just an update so far.

Moved the Co2 diffuser into the pump compartment of the RSM 130.

Everything’s growing nicely and no dramas or nuisance algae!!

Been given the approval to go for a custom tank now if I want so in the process of chasing up quotes and talking to people.

Will swap it all over down the track!




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